A farmers sowing seedlings./ PHOTO ; Pexel
The Restoration Initiative (TRI), an IUCN-led programme operating across Africa and Asia, has been designated as one of the World Restoration Flagships under the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030).
The recognition marks a major milestone in global landscape recovery efforts, highlighting TRI’s success in bringing over 360,000 hectares under restoration and 717,000 hectares under improved management.
Funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented by IUCN in partnership with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), TRI operates in nine countries: Cameroon, Central African Republic, China, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Pakistan, São Tomé and Príncipe, and the United Republic of Tanzania.
Since its inception, TRI has directly benefited over 420,000 people and mitigated more than 30 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent.
Its next phase targets the restoration of an additional 500,000 hectares by 2030, further strengthening local resilience to climate and land degradation challenges.
A Decade of Restoration Gains
The announcement was made during a high-level event at the World Food Forum in Rome, coinciding with the final day of the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025 in Abu Dhabi.
TRI joins three other newly named World Restoration Flagships, large-scale efforts celebrated by the UN Decade for their ambition, measurable results, and commitment to the 10 Restoration Principles.
“TRI’s induction as one of the newest World Restoration Flagships is a testament to its positive impact on the well-being of people, land, biodiversity, and climate,” said Stewart Maginnis, IUCN Deputy Director General.
“We are now at the halfway point of the Decade. This award is a celebration of the progress we have made, but it is also a reminder that there is still work to be done if we want to succeed in meeting global restoration goals.”
Linking Global Goals to Local Action
“There is an urgent need to scale forest landscape restoration and ensure it reaches the most vulnerable ecosystems and communities,” noted Chetan Kumar, IUCN’s Global Head of Forest and Grasslands.
“Land degradation and deforestation not only threaten our ability to meet climate, biodiversity, and disaster risk reduction commitments, but also affect local communities that depend on land for their livelihoods, health, well-being, and cultural traditions. TRI’s achievements prove that large-scale restoration, when done with partnership and communities in mind, can address many of the challenges facing people and nature across the globe.”
Across its diverse landscapes, TRI has become a platform for locally driven restoration.
From forest rehabilitation in the Congo Basin to dryland restoration in Kenya and community forestry in Tanzania, each country project adapts restoration principles to local contexts.
The programme has also facilitated the adoption of 61 national and regional policies that create enabling environments for forest and landscape restoration.
These frameworks are critical in ensuring restoration becomes a sustained, government-owned process rather than a one-time intervention.
Partnership and Policy for Impact
“This award honours the collective effort of hundreds of people across TRI countries who have turned forest and landscape restoration into a catalyst of change and a powerful local solution for socio-economic challenges that were impacting biodiversity,” said Adriana Vidal, Senior Programme Coordinator for Climate Change and Global Manager of TRI at IUCN.
“Through multi-stakeholder partnerships, community empowerment, and integration of restoration into policy frameworks, each TRI country has achieved tangible results and established a foundation for sustainable impact for years to come.”
With USD 54 million in funding from GEF and USD 201 million in co-funding, TRI has demonstrated that coordinated investment and inclusive implementation can unlock large-scale results.
The initiative’s approach, combining scientific expertise, community participation, and cross-sector partnerships, is now seen as a model for future ecosystem restoration programmes.
Restoring the Planet, One Landscape at a Time
Global estimates indicate that nearly 2 billion hectares of the world’s agricultural, forest, and pasture land are degraded.
TRI’s model provides a blueprint for addressing this challenge, one that combines local knowledge, policy reform, and global cooperation.
By focusing on both ecological and human well-being, the initiative not only brings landscapes back to life but also restores hope and opportunity for the communities that depend on them.
As the world advances toward 2030, TRI’s recognition as a World Restoration Flagship underscores a clear message: large-scale restoration is achievable when communities lead and partnerships thrive.
